Four Arrested in Cock Fighting Ring Appear for Initial Hearing in Starke Circuit Court

Prisoners are escorted from Starke Circuit Court

Four individuals allegedly involved with the cock fighting ring in Starke County underwent their initial hearing Wednesday at the Starke Circuit Court. Benjamin Villicana, 32; Francisco Reyes, 37; Juan Gonzales, 33; and Francisco Fernando Reyes, 41 all entered preliminary not guilty pleas for their charges of one count Animal Fighting Contest, a class D felony after having their rights read and explained to them in Spanish by a DVD played in the courtroom because of their lack of fluency with English. The rest of the court session was translated by an interpreter over the phone.

The four individuals’ bonds are set between $10,000 and $15,000. For three of the individuals, however, the bond is irrelevant; INS has placed a “hold” on them because they are claimed to be illegal immigrants.

The attorney status hearing for these individuals is set for March 17, 2011, at 10:30 AM, and their pre-trial conference is scheduled for 8:00 AM on May 11, 2011. The four men stated they would be getting the money together for lawyers.